Server Virtualization's Next Step

With server virtualization rollouts well underway in IT data centers throughout the country, IT managers need to begin considering how best to augment these deployments. Server repurposing is key to making the most of a virtualized environment.

Server repurposing is the ability to change such things as what servers are powered on, what operating system those servers are running, and how and what networks they are connected to. All of these activities can be a manual ordeal.

Software applications are available for server repurposing. Examples include Scalent Systems V/OE 2.0 or Unisys's uAdapt. You can also use proprietary hardware-based solutions from Egenera.

Simply put, server repurposing software virtualizes all of the connections that would normally require manual interaction and allows you to repurpose a server at the speed of boot time as opposed to the hours or, more likely, days – it would otherwise take to reload software, change configurations, or move machines and cables.

Use cases

In an environment that has deployed or is planning to deploy server virtualization, server-repurposing software is a vital component in a successful rollout for ongoing operation of the virtualized environment. With server repurposing in place, the movement of servers and applications from a physical environment to a virtual environment – or even more impressively, from a virtual server environment to a physical environment – is made possible. This provides important capabilities during a server virtualization rollout.